Tokyo apartment market enters bullish territory

In the first half of 2013, Tokyo's apartment market (including new and old apartments) transitioned to a bullish market.

According to Nomura Real Estate Urban Net's residential land and second-hand apartment price movement survey, prices were up in most areas in greater Tokyo in the second quarter of 2013.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Grosvenor to sell luxury apartments in The Westminster Roppongi (aka Roppongi Arents)

International property development group, Grosvenor, will be selling off individual apartments in a luxury residential building adjoining the Roppongi Hills complex.

The Westminster Roppongi (previously named Roppongi Arents) is a 14-storey apartment building that was completed in 2003 - the same time as Roppongi Hills. Apartments range in size from 88.45 to 288.77 sqm (951 ~ 3107 sqft) and have previously been rented for between 470,000 ~ 2,200,000 Yen per month.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Apartment price to income ratio worsens in 2012

According to data released by Tokyo Kantei on July 30, the average price of a brand new apartment in Japan was 6.53 times the average annual income, while a second-hand apartment (less than 10 yrs old) was 4.56 times the average income.

While apartment prices are rising, income levels are still declining. The average annual income in 2012 fell 4.6% to 4,170,000 Yen. This is the third year in a row where incomes have fallen.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Areas where property prices are likely to outperform Japan's inflation target

With the Bank of Japan's governor Haruhiko Kuroda setting a 2% inflation rate target within the next two years, which locations are more likely to receive the benefits of inflating asset prices and which areas are not?

In July 2002, Nikkei Business published a special feature on the 'real estate revolution' as Japan's property market was reaching a turning point. The feature stressed the importance of looking at the investment returns on all types of real estate and introduced the reporting of rental returns by train station.

More than 10 years have passed since the original article, and the Japan appears to be at another turning point.Read more

by Zoe Ward

The Jingumae Residence 84% sold

The Jingumae Residence, a recently completed condominium near Omotesando, has seen a surge in sales in the first half of 2013.

The sales office and showroom opened in January 2012. Of the 148 apartments available for sale, only 60 were sold in 2012. By mid-2013, a total of 125 apartments had sold, leaving 23 apartments remaining for sale. Approximately 15% of the buyers have been foreign investors from Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Akasaka Business Place sold

Daiwa Office Investment Corporation acquired Akasaka Business Place from Hakuba Capital 1 TMK (Angelo Gordon's SPC) for 9.2 billion Yen (approximately 92 million USD).Read more

by Zoe Ward

Be wary of apartments advertised by celebs

One real estate expert is suggesting that buyers be cautious of buying into new developments that use actors, musicians and sports stars to advertise their apartments.

According to journalist Atsushi Sakaki, if a condominium is in a good location and priced in line with the market then it shouldn't need a fancy marketing campaign to appeal to buyers.

A glitzy and flash marketing campaign may sometimes be used to draw attention away from some of the drawbacks of the development. Eg. it may be in a less desirable area, priced too high or too large in scale to achieve strong sales. Read more

by Zoe Ward